Memories in the Rain
by Kuchiki-chan
Summary: Another story where Rukia loses her memory. But what if the only one she remembered was Renji? IchixRuki!
1. Realization

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach. Never will.

A/N: Welcome to my fourth fic ever! Yeah, I know the concept of amnesia has been used way too much, but please just overlook that fact for now. -does puppy eyes- And anyway, if you think about it, the idea of some high school/junior high kid fighting monsters is pretty clichéd too. And yet? Bleach is still awesome!!!

One more thing. I'm really sorry for not updating since…um…like a million years. Or something. My apologies. -bows head in shame-

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"Hey."

"Hey yourself," Rukia answered. She was lying on his bedroom floor, reading something. Ichigo wasn't quite sure he wanted to know what it was.

He walked over to his bed and picked up a book of his own.

Rukia's face appeared over the top of her book, looking suspicious. "What are _you_ reading?"

"_A Midsummer Night's Dream_."

"What's that?"

"It's a play by William Shakespeare."

"Who's he?"

"A guy."

"What kind of guy?" she urged. Ichigo felt a twinge of annoyance.

"He was a guy who wrote a lot of plays and poems," he said flatly. "Now stop bugging me."

"Tell me more!"

"Why?! Go check him up yourself."

"I need to know to expand my knowledge of this world."

"Yeah, so go find out yourself!"

Rukia glared at him but disappeared back behind her book.

Ichigo sighed and went back to his own book. Or he tried, anyway. He couldn't help but notice her eyes grow huge whenever she read something that shocked her. It was kind of funny, actually. Ichigo failed to suppress a laugh.

She looked up irritably. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he quickly said, still laughing. "You're just so…so…"

"So what?"

"Never mind."

"I wanna know!"

"I said never mind!"

"Tell me!" she shouted, dropping her book and lunging at him. Ichigo stopped laughing. "I…hey! What're you doing? Get off me!"

"Tell me first!"

"God…you're really annoying, you know that?"

Her eyes narrowed but she still clung to him persistently.

"Okay…fine. I was laughing at something I read."

"Ichigo…" Her voice sounded a bit threatening.

"Okay, okay! I was laughing at you."

"Why?!"

"'Cause you looked funny."

Rukia's hand instinctively flew up to her hair. "Is my hair messed up?"

"No, it was your face. You were…you were just freaking out like every five seconds." He looked over the edge of the bed at her. "Seriously."

"Ichigo!" He felt a sharp jab at his arm before she got up and walked into his closet.

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He'd realized just a few nights ago. He had been lying in bed, just staring up at the ceiling when she popped into his head. He couldn't seem to get her out of his mind recently…no matter how hard he tried. As a result, he was zoning out during class a lot and while trying to work on his homework.

But how was he supposed to tell her? He wasn't like Keigo, who confessed his love randomly to the prettiest girl nearby. And wasn't a master at sewing like Uryu, so he couldn't just sew her some plushie to make her happy.

_I was…so close last night._ He had been dying to tell her, and it had seemed like the perfect opportunity…but then again, so had all those other times.

Ichigo was repeating last night in his mind, over and over again as he walked down the stairs to the kitchen to get some food for Rukia. Unfortunately, his dad was sitting at the table, reading a newspaper. "Hey Ichigo! How is my favorite son?"

"Shut up, old man." He was in no mood for another "loving" father-son conversation.

Isshin looked hurt. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothin'."

"Aw, come on. Don't say that. I know something's bugging you."

Ichigo looked at his father's grinning face. Sure he was stupid…but…how had he told Masaki?

"Hey…Dad…when you first met Mom, how did you let her know you liked her?"

Isshin was about to say, _Ahhh, girl problems, eh?_ when he saw the dead-serious expression on Ichigo's face. "Well, son…I know it's not always easy to just go up to a girl and tell them you like them. And you'd feel stupid if you just walked up to them and handed them a gift in front of everyone. What if she rejects you? So what _I_ did was I left her a note. No one else had to know about it, just the two of us." He leaned back in his chair and grinned, remembering.

Amazingly, Ichigo didn't roll his eyes or make a sarcastic comment. "But how did you give it to her?"

"I slipped it in her pocket, hoping she'd find it later." He laughed loudly. "I remember worrying all that night, imagining what would happen if she didn't."

"Thanks, Dad," he said, quickly scooping some rice into a bowl and some sushi. He'd suddenly remembered that Rukia was probably upstairs, still waiting and wondering what the heck was taking him so long.

"Anytime, son." As Ichigo dashed back up the stairs, Isshin went back to his newspaper, chuckling. "Young love…"

"Here's your food, Rukia," Ichigo yelled, setting the tray in front of the closet door before returning to his desk. As usual, the door slid open and a small hand reached out, grabbed the tray, and disappeared back into the closet, closing the door after it.

Ichigo sighed and ripped a piece of paper out of his math notebook. _Let's see…how do I write this…_

_Dear Rukia,_

_Too formal,_ he thought. He crossed it out and wrote:

_Hi Rukia,_

And then he spent another ten minutes staring at what he wrote.

His mind had come to a complete blank. What was he supposed to say? 'I love you'? 'I think you're pretty'?

"Ichigo?" A quiet voice snapped him from his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he called back, trying not to sound flustered.

"Thanks for the food."

"Stupid, I bring you food everyday. Why are you only saying this now, ungrateful brat?" he joked.

A Chappy pillow hit him squarely on the back of his head.

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Okay, I know so far this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the summary, but don't worry. It'll get there…maybe in chappy three? It'll make more sense then.

As for now! Please review, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't tell me how clichéd this idea is! I know that this idea has been used a lot, and I fully admit that. If you don't, I'll give you a gold star. XD – Kuchiki-chan


	2. He Said It!

DISCLAIMER: Tite Kubo owns Bleach. You know, I should just copyright this disclaimer. Honestly.

A/N: Ohayo and thanks for all of your kind reviews! You guys are the best.

OMG I searched up "Memories in the Rain" in the Bleach section...there are already like FIVE stories called that! I hope you don't mind...sorry!

Heheh! The plot thickens! Okay, well…not really. But oh well.

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"Come on, Rukia. We're going for a walk."

Rukia raised her eyebrows.

Ichigo sweated and hoped she wouldn't think he was a weirdo.

Okay, so it was a lame excuse, but he had needed to think of something fast. And a walk would give them some one-on-one time.

"Er…hey, why don't you wear this coat? It's chilly outside." He had slipped the note in the coat pocket last night.

"Why this coat?"

"It, um, looks good on you."

"Wow, looks like _someone's_ changed," she said as she slipped it on. "Seriously, though. Why are you all concerned about me all of a sudden?"

"I…I'm not!"

"Yeah, whatever." Rukia hopped out the window. "See you soon."

Ichigo ran down the stairs and out the door. "Bye, Dad. I'll be back before seven."

He heard his dad roar from somewhere in the living room, "Good luck with her!"

He caught up outside with Rukia. "Let's go."

Rukia didn't budge. "So."

"Huh?"

"What's the deal? You're acting weird today, Ichigo. Are you sick?"

"No, no! I'm great. I just…hey, if you're cold, you should put your hands in your pockets."

"I'm not cold."

"Well, yeah, but you could still do that. See, it's…comfy."

Rukia's eyes widened. "Ichigo, are you on DRUGS?!"

"NO!"

"Okay, just checking." She regained her usual expression. "We wouldn't want any psychos fighting Hollows…"

"Hey!"

"Kidding, kidding. So. What do you want to do?"

Ichigo could hear the blood pounding in his ears. This was it. Another perfect opportunity…

_Come on, Kurosaki. Just say it. Three words…just three…_

"Hey, Rukia."

"Mm?"

"I…I lov - "

"Hey, look! A butterfly!" And she ran off.

Ichigo sighed. This was going to be a lot tougher than he thought.

Soon he caught up with her. "Are you sure you're not cold? You look kinda cold to me." Actually, she didn't, in fact she looked quite warm to him. But alas, the stupid things love often makes one say…

Rukia looked suspicious. "Ichigo, I already told you. I'm not cold."

"Yeah, but maybe your _hands_ are cold."

"Ichigo. Get it into that orange head of yours. I'm. Not. Cold. I'm not cold. Get it?"

"Well, okay. But if you are…"

"Ichigo!!"

"Okay, okay!"

_If only there was another way to get her to find the note…without being too obvious…_

Then again, he _could_ just say it to her face, that he loved her, but he didn't have the guts to do that just yet. Dang it, why'd she have to be so stubborn?

"Ichigo, I love you."

Ichigo was snapped out of his thoughts. "W-what did you say, Rukia?"

"Baka." She huffed. "I've been calling you for the past two minutes…I even tried the 'Look! It's a Hollow!' technique and you didn't even look up. And now I say _this_, and you finally react…" She smirked. "Well, at least now I know how to snap you out of it."

Ichigo felt the blood rushing to his cheeks. "You didn't have to…have to…do that, you know. You could have just…I don't know, nudged me on the shoulder, or something."

Rukia glared at him. "I already tried that."

"Oh." Ichigo shoved his hands in his pockets. "Heheh, sorry about that…"

"You're not sorry!" she scoffed.

Suddenly he noticed her hand, which was going for her pockets… _Yes…yes…just a little more…come on…_

"Huh? What's this?" She took out a small white lump. Ichigo swallowed. _That_ definitely wasn't his note.

"Hmm…it's a piece of paper…nah, it's too messed up. I can't read it." She tossed it in the trashcan.

"What was that?"

"I dunno…oh yeah. I put this coat in the washer this morning…that's funny, I don't remember putting a piece of paper in this pocket."

The realization of it all hit Ichigo like….well, the way realization hits people.

His hours of hard work. Flushed away. Gone. Bam. Just like that.

That meant that if he wanted to let her know how he felt before the walk was over, there was only one way he could do it. He had to tell her.

It was now or never.

"Rukia…"

"What?"

"I…I think you're…you're…" he stammered.

"Hey, look! People are flying kites!"

_Damn it. Cut off every time._

"Yeah, that's nice. What I was going to say was…well, I thought you should know that I - "

"Have you ever seen a duck? I mean, not just on TV, but a real duck?"

"Yeah, of course I have! Anyway, what I meant to say was - "

"Weird. This bench is orange…just like your hair! But your hair is brighter."

"RUKIA! LISTEN TO ME, GODAMMIT!" He pressed her against the bench, his hands still on her shoulders. Her eyes were wide. Ichigo let her go and backed off slightly, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry…but…I needed to tell you something."

"What?"

"I…love you."

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He said it!! He said it!!! Okay, I'll stop now. Well, tell me what think. All reviews are greatly appreciated. - Kuchiki-chan


	3. It's Renji!

DISCLAIMER: Tite Kubo owns Bleach. Since I don't, I'll have to just keep writing my pathetic fanfics. -sobs in corner-

A/N: Hey peoples! Kuchiki here. The plot actually starts in this chapter, so I'm pretty excited. Although the clichéd-ness also starts here. Oh well.

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Rukia lay on her futon, remembering the events that had happened earlier. Ichigo had suddenly just told her…his words rang in her ears.

_I love you…_

_I love you…_

_I love you, Rukia._

She smiled and turned onto her side. Somehow she felt breathless whenever she thought about it.

Then she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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Wow. He'd actually done it. He had to admit, it hadn't been very easy…especially with her cutting him off every two seconds. But at least it was over.

She'd seemed a little shocked at first, but not as surprised as he had been expecting.

"Ichigo?"

He turned his head to see the closet door open just a crack, with Rukia's big violet eyes just barely visible.

"Rukia? You're awake?"

"Well, I was…but the detector woke me up…there's another Hollow…"

Ichigo sighed and got up. "You wanna come?"

"Idiot. When haven't I?" she replied, coming out.

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"Well? Where's the Hollow?" Ichigo said, slightly annoyed.

"That's strange…the detector's been working fine…I didn – "

"Rukia! Watch out!" Ichigo yelled and pushed her to the side just as the Hollow appeared before them.

"_Another shinigami, eh?_" came the cold voice. "_I think I'll have my feast here…_"

"Come and get it!" Ichigo leapt up, preparing to slice through its head, but it suddenly disappeared just as he was about to strike.

"Where – ?"

"Ichigo!!" Rukia's voice caught his attention. The Hollow had reappeared behind her, grabbing her with its large, rough hands.

_Dammit…she's not a shinigami right now. She just came to be with me…to make sure I'd be okay…_

Ichigo landed on the ground and ran toward it, but it easily knocked him backward with a flick of its hand. "_How rude. Interrupting my meal…_"

"Ichi-go…h-help…" Rukia whispered as it wrapped its hands around her neck. She was trying to pry them off, but to no avail. Right now she only had the power of an average human girl.

"Rukia!" he yelled, getting up again. He used shunpo to land behind it. The Hollow was still too preoccupied with Rukia to notice him…this was his chance…

"ICHIGO!!!!!" came Rukia's voice. The Hollow had now wrapped its tail around her, squeezing her slowly. Ichigo saw her face grow pale.

Ichigo slashed the Hollow apart without thinking. As it screamed in pain and disappeared, he ran over to Rukia. "Rukia! Are you okay…"

She was unconscious, but still alive. Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief and picked her up in his arms. "Come on. Let's get you home."

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Ichigo's alarm went off. He groaned and rolled over to turn it off. Sighing, he opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. It was another day…another school day…another day of fighting Hollows…

He glanced towards the closet, where he'd put Rukia back last night. She must be pretty tired from last night.

But school was school, and being tired was no excuse to miss it. Well, unless you were REALLY tired, of course, which she probably wasn't. So he got up and stretched, then walked over to the closet door.

"Oy! Rukia. Come on. It's time to get up," he said, sliding open the door and prodding her gently. "School's in fifteen minutes…"

"Mmm…no…not now, Renji…I'm still tired…" she said without waking up.

Ichigo froze. Had she just said 'Renji'? If he remembered correctly, she was his now, not that idiot's…

"Rukia, it's Ichigo. Geez, wake up already," he said, poking her a little more forcefully. "You're still dreaming."

"RENJI!! I'M SLEEPING, DAMMIT!!" she yelled and kicked him in the face.

He grabbed her by the waist and carried her out of the closet, tossing her on his bed. "Look, I'm gonna go eat now. You should too…"

Slowly, Rukia's eyes opened. She screamed.

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"Nee-chan? What is it?" Yuzu called worriedly, running up the stairs. Isshin was close behind her. "Rukia-chan? Are you alright?"

They pushed open the door, only to see a terrified-looking Rukia lying on the bed with Ichigo hovering over her.

"Onii-san!! What are you doing to nee-chan?" Yuzu asked.

"Oh! So sorry to interrupt!" Isshin yelled, and dashed out of the room, pulling Yuzu with him. "You kids just keep doing whatever you were doing!"

Ichigo swore under his breath. "Damn idiots…"

"You're not Renji…" Rukia whispered. "Where am I? And what are you going to do to me?"

"Rukia, stop spacing out on me. The Hollow got you pretty bad last night…so I brought you back here, but you were unconscious."

Rukia's brow furrowed. "Who…are you?"

"Uh…Ichigo."

Rukia suddenly lost her defenseless personality and glared at him. "Well, Ichigo…you'd better let me go right now or I'll beat the crap out of you. Got that?"

"Rukia! Cut it out, dammit! You're freaking me out!" Ichigo yelled, grabbing her arms.

"Who's freaking who out?" she yelled, swinging her knee up. As Ichigo curled up on the floor in pain, she jumped off the bed and out the door.

"D-dammit…what's gotten into her?"

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Well, I've finally updated. Fourth chapter to be coming soon! Please review and tell me what you think so far! – Kuchiki-chan


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